Red Confessions
by tiffywiffyfluffykitty
Summary: Kushina has had enough of Minato ignoring her after he'd saved her from Kumogakure shinobi. She wants answers and she wants them now. What she didn't expect were several red confessions...


**My first MinaKushi fanfiction! Also my first Naruto fanfiction lol I might write more in the future lol Not sure yet. I think Minato might be a bit OOC, but I don't care. I love this couple! They're just too cute together! **

**Hope you enjoy! Review if you likey :3**

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**Red Confessions**

Kushina stared at the yellow-haired boy sitting a few seats from her, immersed in his studies. He seemed to be avoiding looking at her, although his eyes kept flickering in her direction before they refocused on his book.

Minato Namikaze.

Kushina sighed with irritation, blowing back a few strands of her red hair that had fallen into her face. It was the same red hair that, a week ago, had saved her life as she was kidnapped by Hidden Cloud shinobi and she had plucked out her hairs one by one to leave a trail. No one had come except for Minato, who had noticed the trail of red hair and came to save her.

It was also the same red hair that made her fall in love with him that same night.

Sighing once again, Kushina turned back to the instructor, trying to pay attention. He was jabbering on and on about the different hand seals, something they've already gone over back when they were all kids. Bored, Kushina propped her head up on one hand and stared off into the distance.

Behind her, a boy around the same age as her poked her in the back of the head with the point of his ink-laden brush. "Tomato," he whispered.

Kushina's punch sent him flying to the other side of the room right over Minato Namikaze's head, and crashing right into the instructor.

Everyone turned to stare at her, but the eyes that affected her most were a brilliant cobalt blue.

"Ms. Uzumaki, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Oops.

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After a long and intense lecture from the instructor in front of the entire class, Kushina found herself alone outside of the Academy sitting on the swing, waiting for class to be over.

She swung herself back and forth, ruminating over Minato Namikaze…

_She stumbled through the undergrowth, numbly following her captors through the dark trees. Suddenly her guards began to disappear one by one, but she didn't care. She was just so tired._

_ "Are you hurt?"_

_She swayed for a few more steps then stopped, looking up. A boy with spiky blond hair and warm cerulean eyes stared back at her as clouds uncovered the moon, washing everything in bright light. "I came to save you," Minato said._

_She began to smile. Finally, someone had found her. They hadn't abandoned her after all. Her legs suddenly gave and she collapsed, but not before Minato caught her. "You'll be alright now," he whispered and swung her up into his arms, one hand under her knees and the other protectively around her waist._

_"Wait—!" she began, but halted as Minato soared up into the sky. The moon shone on the two of them and she saw that he was clutching several strands of red hair. "That's…"_

_"Your hair is beautiful. So I noticed it right away," Minato said simply._

_She looked up at him with wondering eyes, but turned away, blushing slightly. "But you've always ignored me," she pouted a bit._

_He smiled. "Because I know that you're strong, in body and in spirit." She looked back at him, astonished, but he wasn't done yet. Landing on a treetop, he looked into her face and said, "But this is a fight between two villages. It's different from your other fights, so…"_

_"So?" The word came out as a soft whisper._

_Minato smiled and her heart stuttered. "I didn't want to lose you."_

_She blushed, but frowned slightly. "Even if I'm an outsider?" _

_"Why do you say that?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "You live in Konoha, so you're one of us." He grinned and at that moment, Kushina knew she was in love with someone she once thought was a flaky girly boy. _

Things changed once they got back to the village. Minato began to avoid her, much to her confusion. Did he change his mind about her being an outsider? Was it because he knew she liked him?

A bell rang and the Academy students poured out. Minato was easily recognizable by his yellow hair and Kushina sprang up as soon as she saw him. Unfortunately, as she did, the boys who constantly bullied her also took notice and began to strut towards her, mocking grins on their faces.

"Well, if it isn't the Tomato."

"I'm surprised Sensei still allowed you to stay in the Academy, Tomato."

"You're so stupid, Tomato. Nobody wants a stupid Hokage."

These were all strategically meant to incite her into a fight, but Kushina barely gave them a second glance. "Sorry, I'll see you guys later," she said distractedly and ran after him and Fugaku Uchiha. The bullies stared after her with confused looks. Did Kushina actually _apologize _to them?

Kushina dashed towards her two classmates, long hair swaying as she passed by several chatting students on their way home. "Oi! Namikaze! I-I mean, Minato!" she shouted.

Everyone in the vicinity turned to stare at her, including the mentioned boy and his best friend, as Kushina ran up to them. "What is it?" Minato asked, a little coolly.

Kushina frowned at his tone. "I need to talk to you, ya know." She jerked her head at the gates. "Right now, in private."

Scandalized whispers erupted all over the place as girls and boys alike glared at Kushina. She did not let herself get riled, however, and stood firm as Minato looked her in the eye. "Alright," he said, shrugging. He turned to Fugaku and the two of them said their goodbyes before Minato followed Kushina away from the Academy.

They walked in silence, keeping pace with each other as they walked through the streets. People milled around, visiting shops or talking to each other as they strolled. Mothers carried babies on their backs as they held shopping baskets and men went into bars to drink sake with their friends. Several shinobi also went past, on their way to the Mission Assignment Desk in the Academy.

Before long the two of them arrived in the grove of sakura trees. It was the same place where Kushina had yelled at Minato after she saw him watching her as she fought with a genin-level shinobi who had tried to beat her up on behalf of his younger brother.

Minato raised an eyebrow as they headed deeper in, but didn't comment until Kushina stopped. Hokage Mountain rose up before them and the air swam with pink petals.

"Why are you ignoring me?"

The blunt question came as a surprise to Minato, but he recovered quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, staring at the back of her head, watching the gorgeous red strands sway in the wind.

"Bull," Kushina snapped, whirling around to face him, gray-violet eyes snapping. "After you- you saved me, you've been avoiding me all week! That's rude, ya know!"

Knowing he'd been caught, Minato looked away. "I…I just don't know how to be around you anymore?"

The girl in front of him snorted. "That's stupid." She marched up to him. "I was right. You are a flaky boy." She was about to continue on right past him, but was stopped when Minato suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Wait."

Astonished, Kushina turned to look at him and froze as his cerulean eyes bored into her. "I don't know how to be around you anymore," he said slowly, accentuating each word. "Because I like you, and I don't know if you feel the same way." Trusting that she won't run away, he let go of her wrist. "I meant what I said when I didn't want to lose you. I meant everything I said that night. You're so different from everyone else. A lesser person would've broken down under all that abuse, but you didn't. You're stronger than any other person I've ever met and that's what made me like you even more." He touched her flaming hair and glanced up at the reddening sky as the sun dipped below the horizon. "That, and your beautiful hair."

Kushina blushed as red as her hair. "Tha-Tha-That's stupid, ya know!" she shouted, puffed cheeks making her face even rounder.

Minato chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry for not talking to you for a week. I just… don't know how you feel about me." He drew back to look at her with hopeful eyes. "So… do you like me back?"

Glaring at him mutinously, Kushina harrumphed and turned away, crossing her arms with an even darker blush as the dying sun painted them both with streaks of red and orange. "I…I like you too, flaky boy."

Disregarding the insult, Minato laughed and enveloped her in another hug, surprising a smile out of her. She returned the hug just as the sunset turned to twilight and Minato let go. "How about some ramen at Ichiraku's?" he asked, threading his fingers through hers. "My treat."

"Heck yes!" Kushina said, grinning. She leaned in and gave him a sweet peck on the cheek before dashing ahead. Minato stared after her with a stunned look on his face, before he smirked and ran after her with the unusually fast speed he possesses.

And it was so that the Red-Hot Habanero and the Yellow Flash became a couple, all through a few red confessions.


End file.
